Roughly one in every 100 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 will likely have central nervous system complications, researchers have reported at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
The most common finding was stroke due to clogged arteries, but the researchers also saw bleeding in the brain, inflammation of the brain, and other potentially fatal complications.
Study leader Dr. Scott Faro of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia said in a statement this week that the lung problems related to COVID-19 are well recognised.
But, he added, “our study shows that central nervous system complications represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in this devastating pandemic.”
